“Who Is She?” by I Monster

Perhaps the most honest way of describing the song “Who Is She?” is it being based on or at least inspired by an old school movie, which itself is derived from a series of even older novels. But the way the vocalist flips it is in a way as if he is referring to himself who is looking for “she”. 

In other words, only listeners know for instance that the “Ayesha” mentioned in the first verse is actually a character from said franchise would probably catch on to the fact that the song has such a background. But to the rest of us, exquisite metaphors aside, it sounds more like a simple case of a guy who is perhaps missing his estranged lover.

But even then, the lyrics are so poetic – for lack of a better word – that it’s hard to tell exactly what kind of relationship the singer has with the “immortal she”. To note, the aforementioned film/franchise is science-fiction oriented. So when he refers to “she” as being “immortal” for example, that may be a more literal adjective, if you will, than many listeners realize.

The Takeaway

Maybe we can close by saying something like it would require a viewing of said flick, which to note is titled The Vengeance of She, to fully appreciate what’s on in this song. 

But what it boils down to is I Monster, even in name, being akin to film buffs.  For instance, their moniker is derived from a movie which also came out decades ago.

So all things considered, this track may very well be an ode to an obscure, even poorly-received 1960s’ film. But again, it is presented in such a way that the average listener isn’t likely to pick up on that aspect, except for the fact that the song commences with what can be deemed a sample that is discernibly from a movie.

I Monster

I Monster is a duo of electronic musicians from England, Jarrod Gosling and Dean Honer, who have been together since the late 1990s. Between then and the onset of the 2020s they have released six studio albums, the most notable being the second on the list, 2003’s “Neveroddoreven”. 

Release of “Who Is She?”

It is from the duo’s “Neveroddoreven” album that we get “Who Is She?”. The album was released through Dharma Records on July 21st, 2003.

Credits

Gosling and Honer composed this piece alongside the late Mario Nascimbene.

Mario Nascimbene (1913-2002) was a soundtrack composer who, by the looks of things, had long retired from the game by the time this track was dropped. But the reason he is acknowledged as a co-author is because “Who Is She?” samples a film he scored called The Vengeance of She (1968).

I Monster is credited with producing this song as a unit. And to note, the vocalist is actually one Bob Fields.

Success of “Who Is She?”

This is one of the duo’s more-popular works. For example, as of 2022, this song has been streamed over 33 million times on the audio streaming platform Spotify. It currently is I Monster’s most-streamed song on Spotify.